Sinker wheel for knitting machines



W. T. BARRATT.

SJNKER WHEEL FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12. 1921.

1,435, 96, Patented Nov. 141, 1922.

3 Ff Z i "WILLIAM T. BAR-BATE, G1" BENNIITGTON. VEEGMONT, ASSIGNOB TO CHARLES E KEHOE, ANNIE COOPER, AND ALEXANDER- J. COOPER, EXECUTQRS OF CHARLES COOI'ER,

DECEASED.

'SINKER WHEEL FOE KNITTING MACHINES.

Application filed November 12, 1921.

a citizen ot the United States. residing at llenuington, in the county of Bermington and State oi? Vermont. have invented new and useLul Improvements in Sinker Wheels tor Knitting lllachines. of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in circular knitting machines. and particularly to that portion of said knitting machines known as the sinker wheel.

The object of the invention is to provide a sinker wheel which can be rotated l the needles of the cylinderand which also has embodied therein a gear so positioned and constructed that it will engage the needles of a knitting machine cylinder at a point beyond the cylinder adjacent to the hooked end of the needles and support said needles against any strain that may be brought thereon late-rally thereof. or in a direction tangential to the needle cylinder.

The invention consists primarilr in pro riding; a sinker wheel with a gear adapted to le positioned to support the needles as hereinbetore set forth.

The invention further consists .ing a sinkerwheel having two gears fast thereto one or said gears being positioned to support the needles as hereinbetore set forth, the other of said gears being adapted to engage theneedles where they contact with the needle cylinder and wl tary motion may be imparted wheel.

The invention further consists in the (301m binat-ion and arrangement of parts set it t in the l'bllOWli'lg-l' specification and par.' larly pointed out in therlahns thereof.

In the embodiment of my intention hei einatter described and illustr the drawings 1 have illustrated in v iin nrored sinker wheel in connection'with a c rcular rib knitting machine of the type illustrated and described in Patent Number 86-1. 5-1 issued to me on August .21. 190?. shaken wheel for circular-knitting inachines and to this patent reference may be had for details oi construction not specifically set forth in the following specification.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a por in providid inker tion of a circular rib knitting machine showwhich is rotatably supporter Serial No. 51 L544.

ing my improved sinker wheel in connection therewith.

Fig. 2 is a detail plan 01. the sinker wheel.

Fig. 3-is a side elevation of the sinker wheel showing a needle in connection therewith.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, 10 is the bed plate upon which is rotatably supported the lower needle cylinder 11. 12 is the cap .plateupon l an upper cylinder 13. The upper cylinder 13 is rotated by means of a gear H fast to the cylinder 13, the lower cylinder 11 being rotated; ina similar manner by .a gear not shown in the drawings. The lower cylinder is provided with grooves or tricks 15 in its periphery in which the jacks 16 and. their needles 17 are adapted toslide, saidjacks and needles being moved longitudinally of the tricks 15 by the rotation of the cylinders coacting with the needle cams 18 which are supported upon brackets 19 fast to the bed plate 10. The upper needles 20 are adapted to slide in tricks or grooves 21 formed in the periphery of the upper cylinder 13. The upper needles 20 are connected tojacks 22and are moved longitudinally of the tricks 21 by cams 2 -5 last to brackets 2 1. said brackets being histened to the cap plate 12. The rotation of the cylinders and the operation of the spring needles 1'? and 20 is well known to those skilled in this art.

T he sinker wheel has a series of grooves 26 in-the upper face thereof. said grooves radiatin from a common center and in these grooves or tricks are located sinker-s 2?, each of said sinkers being provided with a lug 2'? which projects into a groove 56 formed in the under face of the rain Ill). The can) i l has a hub 31 projecting upwardlythere- -from which has a flush set screwBlZ in. screwthreaded engagement therewith adapted to bear against the shaft or stud 33 which is rigidly clampedat its lower end to bracket 34lby means of a nut 35. "lf'hc stud is prodrical stem 39 fast thereto or integral therewith which projects into a base 4-0 to which it is secured by set screws ll. It will be understood that the cam is fastened to the stud by the set screw 2-52 and said cam is further securely fastened to said stud in order to prevent rotation thereon by a collar 42 which is fastened to the stud 33 by set screws 43 and is locked to the cam 30 by a pin t l which is fast to the collar and projects downwardly therefrom into the hub 31 of said cam 30. The yarn 59 is guided to the sinkers 27 by yarn guides 60 and 61. The yarn guide (31 is fastened to the cap plate 12 and the yarn guide 60 is fastened to a bracket 62 which, in turn, fastened to the cam bracket The gear 29 meshes into the needles 17 of the lower cylinder and projects into an annular groove (33 provided in the periphery of the lower cylinder 11. Said gear is fastened to a hub 6st projecting downwardly from the sinker wheel 25 by a set screw 65. The hub ()4 of the sinker wheel 25 has a bracket or arm 66 fast thereto and forming, in effect, aportion thereof into which is screwed an adjusting screw (37 which rotatably engages a swivel bearing 68. The swivel bearing 68 consists of a screw 69 which engages the hub of the gear 14:, the upper end of said screw being forked to receive the shank of the screw 67 between the head 70 thereof and a flange formed thereon. The sinker wheel, in addition to the gear 29 which is adjustably fastened thereto, as hereinbefore described has fast thereto or preferably integral therewith a gear 72, the teeth of which and the spaces therebetween are in alignment with the teeth and spaces of the gear 29 and the teeth of said gear 72 engage the needles 1'? adjacent their hooked ends and engage that portion of said needles which at the time of said engagement are projected above the needle cylinder 11. Thus the projecting ends of the needles are supported against lateral distortion, bending or breaking by the teeth of the gear 72. The upper face of the gear 72 is flush with the lower edges of the sinkers so that the needles are supported by the gear 72 at the lower edges of the sinkers.

The general operation of the mechanism hereinbefore described is the same as in that of said patent, the particular advantage se cured by the sinker wheel of this invention. being that the needles where they are unsupported beyond the needle cylinder as in said patent are firmly supported with the desir able results hereinbefore set forth by the gear 72.

It will be understood that the gear 72 as illustrated in the drawings is integral with the sinker wheel and this is the preferred construction, but it is evident that without departing from the spirit of my invention, said gear '72 may be made in a separate piece from the sinker wheel and fastened thereto by any suitable means. In either case it will be evident that the gear 72 is fast to the sinker wheel, either by being fastened thereto by screws, or other convenient mechanical devices, or by being cast in one piece therewith, and in the following claims the words fast thereto are to be interpreted in this sense.

I claim:

1. A sinker wheel for a circular knitting machine and a pair of gears fast thereto, one of said gears being adapted to engage that portion of the needles of said knitting machine which contacts with the needle cylinder while the other of said gears engages that portion of said needles adjacent their hooked. ends and which is out of contact with said needle cylinder.

2. A rotary sinker wheel for circular knitting machines, a plurality of sinkers adapted to slide in grooves provided in said sinker wheel and a gear on said sinker wheel adjacent the bottom of said grooves and adapted to engage that portion of the needles of said knitting machine adjacent their hooked ends and which is out of contact with the needle cylinder.

In a circular knitting machine a needle cylinder, a set of needles adapted to slide in grooves provided in the periphery of said cylinder, a sinker wheel, and a gearfast to said sinker wheel and adapted to engage that portion of said needles adjacent their hooked ends while out of contact with said needle cylinder.

l. In a circular knitting machine a needle cylinder, a set of needles adapted to slide in grooves provided in the periphery of said cylinder, a sinker wheel, a gear fast thereto and meshing into said needles at that portion thereof which contacts with said needle cylinder and another gear fast to said sinker wheel and adapted to engage that portion of said. needles adjacent their hooked ends: while out of contact with said needle cylinder. v

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing wt nesses.

WILLIAM T. BAR-FATTY,

Witnesses FRANK HURLEY, ALFRED LA FRANCHISE. 

